Thursday, January 31, 2013

As missionaries with Great Commission Ministries since 2000, Dan and Julie Clark have had the opportunity to serve a variety of populations including American college students at New Life/Mosiac, members of an inner-city church plant in Hampton, VA and church planters and orphaned children in Kiev, Ukraine. They were on staff with Children’s HopeChest from 2004/2005-2009 working with orphan graduates and women in crisis. They saw the need for a nonprofit with the focus of early intervention and prevention in the lives of orphaned children and vulnerable women and families, and launched doma in August 2008.

doma empowers women and embraces children at ConnectionPoints in Ethiopia, Uganda, Ukraine, and Russia. doma seeks to meet opportunities as presented by their communities and responds to each with individualized programming: a children’s center in Uganda, early intervention with baby houses in Ukraine, parenting and mentorship for vulnerable women in Russia and human trafficking survivors in the US.

Wednesday, January 30, 2013

"Does the person you share a bedroom with snore?" Isn't that about the dumbest advertisement--20 years ago it would have been "Does your husband snore?" and maybe 10 years ago, "Does your partner snore," but now I guess it is whoever needs a bed for the night and stops by. Or it is directed to the prison population.

Last week, Mervyn Samuel, a well-known Columbus abortionist, expanded his business to Pickerington, Ohio. He now has three offices in the Columbus area. Yesterday, Pregnancy Decision Health Center decided that it needs to be there to minister to the women attracted to abortion and to give the women of Pickerington a REAL choice. It will take a lot of work to get up and running. And, it will take about $250,000. So maybe you don't want to march, maybe you're just tired of the back and forth about life and choice and the value of life of the unborn. But I challenge all my central Ohio friends to donate, especially if you are a member of an adoption triad:

Do you think employment and the economy are completely off the national radar? Seems to be for Obama and his back up singers in the media. In the bad old days of GW Bush I remember even fast food restaurants were advertising $2 above minimum with benefits. Mr. President, the recession was officially over in June 2009.

Bureau of Labor Statistics for January 2013 (this is for those of you who think reporting negative news about Obama is racist and hateful)

Among the major worker groups, the unemployment rates for adult women (7.3 percent) and blacks (14.0 percent) edged up in December, while the rates for adult men (7.2 percent), teenagers (23.5 percent), whites (6.9 percent), and Hispanics (9.6 percent) showed little or no change. The jobless rate for Asians was 6.6 percent (not seasonally adjusted), little changed from a year earlier.

Tuesday, January 29, 2013

“I remember when I worked at Planned Parenthood in 2005, we were fighting SO hard to stop the parental consent legislation. We knew it would be devastating for us. Parental notification was SO easy to get around. They could give us the number to Walmart or Target or their cousin and as long as we said we made the contact, then they could get their abortion. We knew parental consent would make our jobs much more difficult. And I remember sitting across the hall from all of the pro-life groups...the groups that we were fighting. Well, all but ONE. There was ONE group that stood alongside Planned Parenthood. There was ONE group that opposed parental consent. I remember thinking to myself THEN, "what type of 'pro-life' group would ever not want parental consent?" Well, that same group is continuing to fight against parental consent in our state. Any group that will stand alongside Planned Parenthood is certainly no pro-life group. We must divide from these groups as they are incredibly detrimental to our efforts. The group I am referring to in this case is Texas Right to Life fueled by the damaging legislation of National Right to Life.”

And Democrats advocate and applaud this cruel and inhuman act as a woman’s right.

Dilation and Extraction (D&X) (partial-birth abortion): from 20 weeks after LMP to full-term

”This procedure takes three days. During the first two days, the cervix is stretched open using thin rods made of seaweed, and medication is given for pain. On the third day, the abortion doctor uses ultrasound to locate the legs of the fetus. Grasping a leg with forceps, the doctor delivers the fetus up to the head. Next, scissors are inserted into the base of the skull to create an opening. A suction catheter is placed into the opening to remove the brain. The skull collapses and the fetus is removed.” First Choice Clinic

These photos do bring back some memories. University of Illinois, Champaign-Urbana, on the Quad in the Fog. The first photo is the Illini Union, and lived just a few steps away in McKinley Hall (YWCA) on Wright Street.

“To understand leftism, the most dynamic religion of the last hundred years, you have to understand how the left thinks. The 2013 inaugural address of President Barack Obama provides one such opportunity.

"What makes us exceptional -- what makes us American -- is our allegiance to an idea articulated in a declaration made more than two centuries ago: 'We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal; that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights; that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.'"

What American does not resonate to a president reaffirming this magnificent statement from our Declaration of Independence?

But here's the intellectual sleight of hand: "What makes us exceptional -- what makes us American" is indeed the belief that rights come from God.

But this seminal idea is not mentioned again in the entire inaugural address. This was most unfortunate. An inaugural address that would concentrate on the decreasing significance of God in American life -- one of the left's proudest accomplishments -- would address what may well be the single most important development in the last half-century of American life.

"If he is a skeet shooter, why have we not heard of this? Why have we not seen photos? Why hasn't he referenced this at any point in time?" Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) said Monday on CNN's "Erin Burnett OutFront."

"I tell you what I do think," she later added. "I think he should invite me to Camp David, and I'll go skeet shooting with him and I bet I'll beat him."

National Consortium for the Study of Terrorism and Responses to Terrorism (START ) reports: “Before its account was suspended by Twitter Jan. 25, 2013, the Somali jihadist group al-Shabaab had been using Twitter actively -- sending about 1,250 tweets to its more than 20,000 followers since December 2011. The primary goal of the group’s (@HSMPress) tweets had been to engage with English-speaking supporters and promote its own overarching narrative of current events. In its tweets, the group frames invading East African forces and the Transitional Federal Government as Western proxies at war with Muslims in Somalia.”

“Using an analytical tool from Topsy, which provides deep, comprehensive analyses of hundreds of billions of Tweets and web pages gathered from millions of unique websites, blogs and social media services, the researchers also evaluated the reach of al-Shabaab’s Twitter account. Al-Shabaab’s most prolific tweets included those about how Hurricane Sandy was a small fraction of the destruction the U.S. deserves, and how the horrors of 7/7 and 7/21 will be eclipsed by what is looming on Britain’s shores. Such analysis shows that the group’s cumulative exposure had grown over the past year.”

Monday, January 28, 2013

President Obama views America as a nation of imbeciles. Well to be fair, Obama did get re-elected. But even with a second term now guaranteed, Obama still displays a pathological need for shameless pandering. Franklin Foer of “New Republic” to President Obama: “Have you ever fired a gun?” Obama: “Yes, in fact, up at Camp David, we do skeet shooting all the time.” Sure O, we believe you. Obama goes on to say the strong support for the 2nd Amendment is due to hunters being “pretty protective” of family tradition. And being the magnanimous leader he is, Obama would never interfere with that.

On numerous past occasions President Obama labeled himself as a constitutional law professor. If true, never in the history of academia has a professor known so little about his or her subject. Thanks Mr. President, if we’re ever invaded by a nation of ducks, or a deer starts shooting up a school classroom, or if your skeets come to confiscate our guns, we’ll be prepared. The buffoonery continues. P

I’ve written at this blog about the Tennessee connections based on the memories of my father. After my great-grandfather moved to Illinois, he helped a number of families come north and get settled. They would meet for picnics when a visiting relative was in the area, and it came to be known as the Tennessee Reunion. The first my dad remembered was around 1924. All the people who attended (with the exception of the children born in Illinois) had known each other back in Tennessee--Martins, Millers, Ballards, Corbetts, Biggs, Vessers, and Willifords and some others. Most were related by blood or marriage.
Today I received a photo, too long for my scanner of the reunion held at Lawrence Park, Sterling, Illinois on July 14, 1929. As near as I can tell, the Ballards and Corbetts are at the left. Since I didn’t know any of these people when they were this young, I haven’t identified all of them.
I think the two girls with dark hair sitting with the children, about 6 people from the left, might be Dorothy and Gladys Corbett, with possibly their cousin Phil Ballard between them. Their mother Bessie is directly behind them, and maybe her mother Leanor Ballard is next to her. It’s possible that Roy and Helen Ballard are next to Art and Myrtle Ballard. I can’t pick out my great-grandfather, but he was usually the tallest one.
Imagine being so dressed up for a picnic? People had some pride in appearances in those days.

Mainline churches are losing ground and evangelicals are stalled, according to this interfaith report which I saw in the NALC newsletter. Aside from all the attention to worship style (contemporary, innovative, traditional) it seems that there does need to be a reason for existing. Many churches have forgotten that. It helps to stand for something. If you're a service club or just supporting your denomination's history and traditions, you probably won't grow. http://faithcommunitiestoday.org/decade-change

And I think this is reported in most church growth surveys—“The primary way people first connect with a congregation is through someone who is already involved.” Indirectly, that’s how we got to UALC. In 1974 I heard about a program on the radio which was at a church I’d never seen (after 7 years in Upper Arlington, I’d never been on that street). I attended, was invited to a Bible study, and then to attend a service. We were confirmed on Palm Sunday 1976.

Sunday, January 27, 2013

Lutheran Church Charities Comfort Dogs have Been at Newtown, CT since mid-December and have been requested to stay through January at Sandy Hook Elementary and Newtown High School.

Our Lutheran Synod, North American Lutheran Church (NALC, which is U.S., Canada and Mexico) works cooperatively with other Lutheran groups and agencies for disasters. The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod has an innovative “first responder” team of dogs (from the photos I’m guessing they are all Goldens).

The charity was created in 2008, and has been used after the tornadoes in Joplin, Mo., and after Hurricane Sandy.

“On New Year's Day - at 3 am - 20 handlers and 10 LCC K-9 Comfort Dogs left the LCC offices in Addison, Illinois to travel to Newtown, Connecticut to be with the people of the town. Their first stop will be the high school. Visit plans for the week will include all those public servants who gave so much these past weeks (fire, police, public officials) and the often forgotten residents of senior centers and nursing homes. We will also be available for any staff, faculty, families and students of the elementary schools in the area. “

We’re going to a Bobby Burns dinner party tonight (his birthday was January 25). Not sure we will have haggis, neeps and tatties, but our hostess is quite well known for her skills in the kitchen. The guests are supposed to read, recite or sing something Scottish, so I may read the Bruce tartan story from this book.

The Bruces originated in France and after the Norman Conquest of England in 1066 ended up with a lot of land. Sir Robert de Brus, a Norman knight came to England with William the Conqueror, Duke of Normandy. The Duke a distant cousin of the English king had claimed the English throne when the King had died. After the conquest, the Norman French eventually took over the Anglo-Saxon culture, land and language.

The son of Robert the Brus, Robert went to Scotland and was made Lord of Annandale by David I, whose great-granddaughter Isabella married Robert Bruce, 5th Lord of Annandale. Through this marriage their son Robert, 6th Lord of Annandale, Regent of Scotland, inherited a right to the Crown to which he was nominated by Alexander III. Robert, 7th Lord, married the Celtic Countess of Carrick and their son became that Earl of Carrick who was to wear the Scottish Crown, complete the liberation of Scotland, and be familiarly known as Robert the Bruce (1272-1329).

Friday, January 25, 2013

Watched a public service announcement this morning by a young man adopted in 1971--bi-racial, a result of a rape in 1970. He became an outstanding student and athlete, successful adult, B.A., M.A. now married with a beautiful family. He thanked his bio-mom for giving him life and not letting the circumstances of his conception destroy the person he became.

The March for Life, January 25, 2013, in Washington, DC. About 500,000, the largest human rights march in history, attended. Many inspiring speakers—I watched on EWTN.

Richard Cohen — Washington Post, October 19, 2005 “[T]he very basis of the Roe v. Wade decision — the one that grounds abortion rights in the Constitution — strikes many people now as faintly ridiculous. Whatever abortion may be, it cannot simply be a matter of privacy.”

Yesterday at the coffee shop I asked a Catholic acquaintance if his parish was sending a bus to DC for the March for Life. He looked at me as if I'd just asked if Armstrong had landed on the moon. "Of course, we send one every year." If our local Protestant churches can't organize a van or bus, maybe they could contribute to the transportation costs of the Catholics? Or, how about a sermon?

Some cuts need to be for show--like removing Planned Parenthood from the national teat. The cut won't do much in terms of the national debt--but Planned Parenthood performed 333,964 abortions on unborn children during the 2011-2012 fiscal year; those abortions were estimated to have generated $150 million dollars for the “nonprofit” organization. It generated $1.2 BILLION in income. Our share for ...2011-2012 was $542.4 million, which represents 45.2 percent of the group’s total annual budget. Increasingly, abortions are for the poor and minorities, whose children are aborted at a much higher rate than white middle class. PP appears to have a very strong business model with well paid executives and a very loyal following who will donate, so let it be on their conscience.

11) President Obama sang the praises of Roe v. Wade. On one level, that's not surprising -- he's the most pro-choice President ever. But Obama is also a Harvard Law School alumnus, and he used to teach Constitutional law, and so you would think he would see Roe for the embarrassing bit of ideologically motivated junk it is. Lest you think I'm just showing my bias, read the collection of pro-choice scholars and journalists slamming the decision." http://washingtonexaminer.com/article/139828#.UP7SUifO0iH

In 1965, 24 percent of black infants and 3.1 percent of white infants were born to single mothers. Then came the War on Poverty, legalized abortion and lots of free sex (contraception). The values of marriage were tossed out the window by our culture. By 1990 the rates had risen to 64 percent for black infants, 18 percent for whites. By 2009 it was more than 70% for blacks, more than 50% for Hispanics, and 30% for whites. (For some reason the CDC can’t seem to get birth or abortion rates out in a timely fashion.) Marriage of her parents is the best anti-poverty program a girl can have. Uncle Sam is just a disastrous step-dad, regardless of the Julia lies Obama floated during the campaign.

John Francis Regis (d. 1640) is the patron saint of children whose parents aren’t married, and he’s also the patron saint of social workers.

The pro-life movement is a much younger crowd than pro-abortion, now graying and cranky. It was so wonderful today to hear all those high school girls speaking out at the March for Life in Washington, DC.

I'm not sure I knew or understood what abortion was when I was in high school, and maybe not even in college. It might have been the Sherry Finkbine case of thalidomide (1962) that first brought it to my attention. That drug (a teratogenic sedative like alcohol) was not legal in the U.S., but she had gotten it in Europe for her 5th pregnancy. So her story was on all the news (3 channels, at that time). Therapeutic abortion was legal in the U.S., but the hospital feared bad publicity and backed out after it was scheduled, so she went to Sweden.

There have been law suits and spotty compensation from the chemical companies, but as they age, they require more care for their disabilities, and their parents are either dead, or need care themselves.

Thursday, January 24, 2013

“But I am absolutely committed to fiscal responsibility, which is why I’ve already proposed freezing all discretionary spending unrelated to national security for the next three years. And once the bipartisan fiscal commission finishes its work, I’ll spend the next year making the tough choices necessary to further reduce our deficit and lower our debt — whether I get help from the other side or not.” (President Barack Obama at Cuyahoga Community College, Parma, OH, 9/8/10)

“When one hears the President of the United States use his inaugural address to favorably cite the most infamous phrase associated with the disastrous Neville Chamberlain — that would be “peace in our time” — there can only be trouble ahead.

The mechanics for this march backwards to failure are already in place.

First and foremost is the Orwellian use of his language. Tyranny is freedom. Collectivism is liberty. “Together” is shorthand for government control.”

She’s trying to distract you from the lies about Benghazi, where the survivors are, why Rice was sent out to lie for her, and why she shouldn’t be your next president. Don’t be fooled. She learned it all from Bill. And frankly, size does matter, and this is bigger than Bill’s.

Have you seen the creepy, sexist, anti-black, anti-woman, anti-common sense ad by the pro-abortion forces? Here's the setting: gorgeous, athletic black man, beautifully dressed, sitting by a romantic fire, drink in hand, sexy voice, and encouraging abortion? Really? With 40% of abortions for black women, they really need to find additional ways to marginalize African Americans? I guess the sexploitation ads used in the Obama campaign worked so well, they decided to push the envelope. Were all the smart women aborted in the last 40 years?

“The president himself has more directly killed about 176 children in Pakistan by the use of CIA drones. These drones have been dispatched by him alone -- not pursuant to any congressional declaration of war (Bush had Congressional approval for Afghanistan and Iraq, just in case you have a Democrat’s memory). At least two of these murdered children were Americans. But since the cameras were kept away, since all of this takes place 10,000 miles from America, and since the survivors are legally and politically helpless, no one here hears the Pakistani children’s cries of pain and anguish.” Judge Andrew Napolitano http://www.foxnews.com/opinion/2013/01/24/guns-and-president/#ixzz2Iu2e0nhZ

I was reading the Columbus-Dispatch Week-ender this morning—looking for movies I’ll probably not see. Here’s what I found in the Now Screening section (I’m leaving off the evaluations for sex, nudity, crudity, and rude).

This is an important article, but the author needs to know, as you do, that the whole point of putting women in combat is to weaken the military.

"Yes, a woman is as capable as a man of pulling a trigger. But the goal of our nation's military is to fight and win wars. Before taking the drastic step of allowing women to serve in combat units, has the government considered whether introducing women into the above-described situation would have made my unit more or less combat effective?"

Wednesday, January 23, 2013

There was a time in our history—oh, maybe 4-5 years ago—when truth mattered. Those days are gone forever. We’re now in Obamaland, a land we never could have imagined. That’s why we’re called Conservatives. We think some things need to be conserved, treasured, held close, and admired. Like truth.

"When Mitt Romney brought up Mali in the presidential debate, the reference was met with sneers from the left and bewilderment from the media. “Despite Romney Claims, Mali is No Afghanistan, Expert Says,” is how US News and World Report hea...dlined the rebuttal. Three months later, it’s become increasingly clear that not only is Mali turning into Afghanistan, but North Africa is sliding down the same muddy slope."

I’ve been making candied orange peel because I eat an orange a day, and it seemed a shame to waste it. I saw the recipe in Edible Columbus. It looks pretty high in vitamin C, and OK on fiber. Certainly more nutritious than eating candy, which is what it tastes like.

“This homemade confection is well worth the effort, since it is far superior to any candied citrus that is commonly available in your local grocery store. It can be enjoyed as a snack, or incorporated into many holiday baked goods. Have fun with this versatile product that adds a sweet orange punch of flavor.

3 large Navel oranges (washed and dried) 2 cups granulated sugar, plus 1 cup for coating the peel 2 cups water, preferably still spring or filtered water Additional water (good tap water is fine for this) for blanching and washing down the sides of the pot.

Cut the oranges into quarters and juice them into another container. (Reserve this juice for another use). With a teaspoon, scrape out the pulp, leaving the clean white pith on the inside of the quarters. With the rind side up, slice the peel into thin strips. Fill a heavy 2-quart saucepan with water and bring to a boil. Add the slices of peel, and simmer for about 5 minutes. Discard water, and fill the saucepan with new water. Repeat this blanching process 2 more times. This process will remove the bitterness from the peel and open the cellular walls, enabling the peel to absorb the sugar syrup.

When the peels have been drained for a third time, add 2 cups of sugar and 2 cups of filtered water. Take a wet pastry brush and wash down the sides of the pot. Dry sugar crystals will promote crystallization of the syrup. Bring this to a very low simmer for approximately 1 hour. The peels should be very soft and somewhat translucent. Be very careful not to overcook this syrup, as it will start to caramelize. Carefully transfer (sugar syrup is extremely hot) to a container and refrigerate overnight. Strain the peel from its syrup. You can use this syrup for a delicious drizzle on just about anything. Toss in granulated sugar, and place on a wire rack to dry for 24 hours. Transfer to an airtight container. These will last for 2–3 weeks if stored properly.

I don't care that Beyonce lip-synced the national anthem. It was beautiful. Voices crack in the cold air--give the woman a break. What I did object to is the president lip syncing to voices of the 1950s as though nothing has happened and billions hadn't been spent.

Obama didn't address jobs or solving the debt on Monday. Why should he? He won without those issues, even though unemployment for minorities and youth is at record high. Minorities and youth are also the ones with the highest abortion rates. He spoke to the nation like it was the early 1950s when Democrats were still fighting all the civil rights actions of the Republicans and the Jim Crow laws put in place by his party still existed. I guess he was recorded "present" in history class, but wasn't taking the test.

Many Asians and Hispanics supported Obama in the last election. Odd, isn’t it? Both groups have fled oppressive regimes, either Communists on the left or dictators on the right, and yet that’s what they gravitate to. Free stuff trumps politics. Better opportunity? Good jobs? Not so much. He hyped free birth control and doesn’t even have a woman at cabinet level.

Actually, I don’t buy the whole story—yes, they did turn out, but it was conservative Christians who stayed home from the polls and liberal Catholics who did go to the polls who really handed him 4 more years to help destroy our economy and culture. There are a lot of so-called Catholics who need to throw in the towel and become main line Protestants if they want a club of like minded friends since they don’t seem alarmed by the way Obama is attempting to destroy the Roman Catholic church. And there are fundamentalist Christians who need to get their nose out of the Bible and take a look around at people who share their values.

An AR-15, or the so-called "Assault Weapon", was not used in the Newtown school shooting. The shooter even tried weeks earlier to buy a rifle but was turned down in the background check. So he had to kill his Mother to steal her rifle. There were initial reports, right after the shooting, that police found the AR-15 in his car, NOT IN THE SCHOOL. The rifle was not used. The shooter went into the school with 4 handguns, NOT an Assault Rifle as the media has charged. I remember in the initial hours of this shooting, the Police said they found the rifle in the car. But the Administration-controlled MSM had a pre-planned attack already waiting, to ban so-called assault weapons and jumped on that line of reporting, knowing it was a lie, which included people like Piers Morgan who said the shooter used an AR-15 that shoots hundreds of rounds per minute, as if it were a machine gun. Could it be that the Democrat Liberals and THEIR MEDIA were pushing for the new law, hoping they could do it, before the Coroner released the info? Absolutely.

Tuesday, January 22, 2013

“Forty years ago today the Supreme Court rendered its Roe v. Wade decision. Those who believe in the sanctity of human life and long to see America embrace a culture in which innocent life is honored and protected continue to look for a day when humanity is again deemed valuable, where we cherish even those who would be born in "less than ideal circumstances." Children are our most precious resource and remain the greatest symbol of hope God has given us. This is just one reason why the annual March for Life has been such a powerful aspect of the pro-life movement. This year’s event is Friday, January 25th, and once again a multitude of Americans will gather in Washington, D.C. to show their support for precious little ones.

Our Founding Fathers declared: “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness.” However, since 1973, millions of children have been denied the basic right upon which all the others hinge: the right to life.

Lately, President Obama has taken to boldly highlighting children in his speeches. Using kids as the backdrop for his gun control speech, the President claimed his commitment to young ones. "If there's even one life that can be saved, then we've got an obligation to try,” he said. He then outlined why gutting our Second Amendment is the means by which he believes we accomplish this. Every law-abiding citizen’s heart is broken when children are the target of men hell-bent on committing acts of evil, and we agree that the safety and protection of innocent life is paramount.

The hypocrisy of it all, however, is that while the President publicly acknowledges the value of “even one life” when it advances his own political agenda, he fails to acknowledge as much when it comes to protecting the lives of children soon to be born. In that same speech, he proclaimed that “when it comes to protecting the most vulnerable among us, we must act now.” Well, who is more vulnerable than those who find themselves at the mercy of others to honor their existence and receive them into our world? Are these—the truly vulnerable—not worthy of the protection of which the President speaks? Why is it that their cause is never the subject of one of his lofty addresses to the nation? Has he ever even mentioned the March for Life that takes place in his own back yard and ought to be worthy of at least a scant mention? If indeed we have an obligation to save “even one life,” when will we hear our President rally Americans to stand alongside women who find themselves in these less than ideal circumstances to offer the support they need, to encourage parents to choose life, and to promote the option of adoption? Instead, he has committed himself to the most liberal of abortion agendas—so much so that as a Senator he couldn't even bring himself to support the Born Alive Act that would save the lives of babies ALREADY BORN and needing medical aid. Further, he believes taxpayers should betray their consciences by paying for his abortion agenda. This same President has stated he didn’t want his daughters “punished with a baby,” and remarked that it was “above my pay grade” to answer a pastor's question: “At what point does a baby get human rights?” Yet now we are to somehow believe that children are the priority in his current aggressive campaign against the Second Amendment?

The President continued to herald his support of children in yesterday’s inaugural speech. “Our journey is not complete until all our children, from the streets of Detroit, to the hills of Appalachia, to the quiet lanes of Newtown, know that they are cared for, and cherished, and always safe from harm,” he said—and I agree. Nor is our journey complete, I would add, until all our children soon to be born are also “cared for, and cherished, and always safe from harm.” The President, of course, did not include this, as it does not line up with his worldview or his party’s platform. See, his commitment to our children is selective. When children in the womb are on the chopping block, the President is silent. When he places the Second Amendment, however, on the chopping block, children are his focus. Never mind the fact that his latest proposals would not protect them from evildoers and would, in fact, leave responsible, law-abiding citizens less able to protect them as well.

Clearly, there is no shortage of hypocrisy coming out of Washington, and this is just one example. Americans can expect to be inundated with rhetoric and doublespeak for the duration of this administration. It is truly Orwellian. So it is absolutely imperative that we keep our eyes and ears open; don't allow yourselves to be sucked in or lulled to sleep. Our freedoms are being compromised, our common sense insulted, and our children exploited. We must be vigilant and engaged, and we must remain hopeful that a better day is coming.”—Sarah Palin

The culture of dependency and hopelessness fostered by our federal and state governments have turned millions into slaves of the dole. The biggest cause of poverty among children is unwed mothers. Remember the Obama ad about Julia—total dependency. Then if she tries to make something of herself with completing her education and getting a better job, she might find out she needs to give up benefits her family relies on. So she hesitates, and doesn’t move ahead with her life.

In 1970, a 22-year-old Sandra Cano was pregnant with her fourth child, after having lost custody of two of her children and adopting out the third. Abortion was illegal in Georgia, the state where Cano was living, except in extreme circumstances, but lawyers argued that she should be allowed to abort. In a decision released on the same day as Roe v. Wade, the U.S. Supreme Court agreed.

While the better known Roe v. Wade struck down all state restrictions on abortion pre-viability, Doe v. Bolton extended the right to abort through all nine months of pregnancy. But Doe v. Bolton was a lie claimed Cano: that she never actually wanted nor requested an abortion and that she was tricked into signing an affidavit about abortion in the process of filing for divorce from her husband and seeking to regain custody of her other children.According to Cano she actually fled the state when her mother and lawyer tried to force her into getting an abortion.

Norma McCorvey, the Roe of Roe v. Wade also believes abortion is evil.

“I was persuaded by feminist attorneys to lie; to say that I was raped, and needed an abortion,” Norma stated in last year’s ad. “It was all a lie.”

“Since then, over 50 million babies have been murdered. I will take this burden to my grave,” she said.

In 2003, Norma filed to re-open Roe v. Wade, a petition that was dismissed. Much like Sandra, however, Norma continues to speak out about her involvement in the case.

“I'm 100 percent sold out to Jesus and 100 percent pro-life,” Norma writes in a testimony published on her website. "No exceptions. No compromise."

Collectivist drivel. Four more years of listening to what the Russians got for 70.

"Everyone who watched the growth of [the Nazi and Fascist] movements in Italy and Germany has been struck by the number of leading men, from Mussolini downward, who began as socialists and ended as Fascists or Nazis. And what is true of the leaders is even more true of the rank and file of the movement. . . Many a university teacher during the 1930s has seen English and American students return from the Continent uncertain whether they were communists or Nazis and certain only that they hated Western liberal civilization."

Monday, January 21, 2013

Maybe I need to go back to coloring my hair. In the parking lot at Marc’s today I was walking carefully because we had about 1/2" of snow and I wasn't sure what was under it. A woman walked up to me, grabbed my arm and shoulder, and said, "Let me help you." She hung on all the way to the door. When she took off her knit cap, I decided she was every bit of 65. Must have been her good deed for the day.

And here’s the story. . .

An elderly woman spent a day shopping at the mall. Upon return to her vehicle, she found four strange males sitting in her car. Frightened, the woman dropped her shopping bags and drew her handgun. She told the men that if they did not get out of the car, she would shoot. The four men ran off quickly, whereupon the lady got into the car. Her key however, would not fit. The woman realized that her car was the identical one parked a few spaces down. She went to the police department and reported the story. The officer on duty laughed hysterically and pointed to the other end of the counter where four pale men had reported a car jacking by a mean old lady; no charges were filed.

Sunday, January 20, 2013

My husband has a long record of money problems. He runs up huge credit-card bills and at the end of the month, if I try to pay them off, he shouts at me, saying I am stealing his money. He says pay the minimum and let our kids worry about the rest, but already we can hardly keep up with the interest. Also he has been so arrogant and abusive toward our neighbors that most of them no longer speak to us. The few that do are an odd bunch, to whom he has been giving a lot of expensive gifts, running up our bills even more. Also, he has gotten religious. One week he hangs out with Catholics and the next with people who say the Pope is the Anti-Christ, and the next he's with Muslims.. Finally, the last straw. He's demanding that before anyone can be in the same room with him, they must sign a loyalty oath. It's just so horribly creepy! Can you help?

Signed, Lost

Dear Lost,

Suck it up and stop whining, Michelle. You're getting to live in the White House for free, travel the world, and have others pay for everything for you. You can divorce the jerk any time you want. The rest of us are stuck with the idiot for 4 more years.

Saturday, January 19, 2013

"I got season 7 of “The Closer” for my birthday in September. But we had to start watching from season one (husband rules), so we just finished it Thursday. Then we watched the additional material--fascinating panel discussion after the final episode of the cast (without Simmons who plays Chief Pope) plus main writer and director and producer. Hearing Brenda/Kyra without the accent and seeing David Gabriel/Corey Reynolds wearing earrings is a hoot. He's so drop dead gorgeous it is not a good look for him.

"In a 24/7 news cycle, sometimes we miss the good news. Another disease is close to being licked, maybe not on schedule (1995), but real progress. In 1986 there were about 3.5 million cases of Dracunculiasis in 20 countries of Africa and Asia. In 2011 there were 1,058, and the first 9 months of 2012, only 521 cases were reported. This nasty thing comes from drinking stagnant water with larvae which then grow in the body and come through the skin of the foot or leg and is terribly painful and debilitating.

"Does anyone on the VP's task force read the reports we pay for? In December 2012 Bureau of Justice report: from 2001 to 2010, the rate of violence committed by strangers declined 47 percent and the rate committed by offenders the victims knew declined by 41 percent. Of the violence by stranger 10% used a gun; known assailant, 5% used a gun. Huge drop in 20 years.

“The Arab Spring has triggered unrest among competing ethnic groups in Northern Africa, the latest manifestation of which is the taking of 40 gas-plant employees taken hostages in eastern Algeria. The captors blamed French military intervention in nearby Mali. But Shiraz Maher, writing for the Wall Street Journal, explains animosity in the region lingers after NATO forces assisted Libyan rebels in deposing and killing Muammar Gaddafi. Weaponry left over the Libyan conflict is plentiful in the black market.” Yale Global Online

As Obama continues to take credit for the draw down of troops in Iraq and Afghanistan (voted against anything that would have speeded the end of the war when Bush was in office), he expands hostilities in the middle east. But his ga-ga, so in love supporters don’t see any problems. We still have no answers about Benghazi and the shipping of arms from Libya to Syria—40 tons, as I recall.

I dunno, did Lance say this: 1) “Transparency & the rule of law will be the touchstones of this presidency.”

2) “If I don’t have this done (economic recovery) in three years, then there’s going to be a one-term proposition.”

3) “Today I’m pledging to cut the deficit we inherited by half by the end of my first term in office.”

4) “No family making less than $250,000 a year will see any form of tax increase.”

5) “These negotiations (Obamacare) will be televised on CSPAN.”

6) “We are going to work with you to lower your premiums by $2,500.”

7) “If you have insurance that you like, then you will be able to keep that insurance.”

Then there’s Gitmo, the stimulus, “private sector doing fine,” Benghazi and so on and so on. Sorry, much more but out of space. So Washington Post, “Is Lance Armstrong the world’s biggest liar?” NOT EVEN CLOSE! P

According to the Justice Department, actual violence is down dramatically since 1994. The virtual and entertainment industry violence is way up, if being unable to find a movie to watch is any indication.

“This isn’t just about guns,” Biden said on Thursday at the U.S. Conference of Mayors in Washington, D.C. “It’s about the coarsening of our culture.

“Yes, that’s what I said, the coarsening of our culture, whether it’s with video games or movies or behavior,” Biden said.

Other types of violence is also declining.

“In 2010, strangers committed about 38% of nonfatal violent crimes, including rape/sexual assault, robbery, aggravated assault, and simple assault. “ Of those incidents, about 10% of violent victimizations committed by strangers involved a firearm, compared to 5% committed by offenders known to the victim.

Yesterday teachers in Columbus received training in survival in the event of a school shooter. But someone needs to look at the current procedures. A teacher told me they don't know when they have lock down drills at her school if it is a drill or the real thing. That's just stupid. So if a teacher throws a hammer or stabs the assailant or throws a chemical from the lab to save his own life or to protect the kids, and it's not for real but just a drill, who will be blamed for the injury or assault?

Thursday, January 17, 2013

I remember "wife abuse." But after gender equality, they found out that women also abused men, it became "spousal abuse." But then it was revealed that living together (aka shacking up) also produced nasty outcomes so it became "domestic violence." But research showed that gays and lesbians abused their lovers, so it was called "domestic partner abuse." Now it is "intimate partner violence" (IPV) which is different than “elder abuse.” We have an amazingly flexible language, always ready and willing to keep up with the flow of grant money.

Wednesday, January 16, 2013

1. Food stamps—even before the down turn in the economy the program was expanding under Bush. There are over 30 million more Americans receiving food stamps today than in 2000.

2. Social Security disability payments. Supposedly, we’re healthier than ever, but five million receiving disability by 2000, 6.5 million by 2005, and rising to nearly 8.6 million today.

3. Pell grants. More people in college, fewer in the work force. In 2000, fewer than 3.9 million young men and women received Pell Grant awards to attend college. The number rose one-third, to 5.2 million by 2005, and increased a million more by 2008. In the next three years, however, the number grew over 50%, to an estimated 9.7 million.

For many, it just doesn’t pay to work! And obviously, this problem did not start with Obama!

Violent crime is way down since 1994 among the young, but Obama will never look at the stats. Doesn't fit his template of ripping the country apart by creating animosity among groups, races, genders, and religions. Now he wants to put in place a plan that will discourage people with depression or anxiety or bi-polar disorder from getting help because they fear being manipulated in a federal database. He's turning their doctors into snitches.

Generally, I buy real cheese, but it is difficult to resist, and it is quite fattening. Also, it makes my atrial fibrillation kick in, for some reason. But I do remember the wonderful grilled cheese sandwiches, macaroni and cheese and scalloped potatoes my mother used to make. How did she get such simple foods to taste so good?

I also remember the great stuff she could make out of the wooden box! Sometimes it would have wheels, we could paint it, put dollies in it, make houses, etc.

It’s not about hunting deer; it’s not about a national guard. Read your history of the Bill of Rights. Our founders feared the very power Obama is grabbing.

It looks like the president is planning to override the Constitution and our representative form of government (Congress makes the laws). Democrats should be very worried to be associated with this. You'd have to be from another planet without a course in American history, or a statist intent on taking away all personal freedoms, to think the 2nd amendment applies only to a National guard.

"When the first Congress convened for the purpose of drafting a Bill of Rights, it delegated the task to James Madison. Madison did not write upon a blank tablet. Instead, he obtained a pamphlet listing the State proposals for a bill of rights and sought to produce a briefer version incorporating all the vital proposals of these. His purpose was to incorporate, not distinguish by technical changes, proposals such as that of the Pennsylvania minority, Sam Adams, or the New Hampshire delegates. Madison proposed among other rights that "That right of the people... to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed; a well armed and well regulated militia being the best security of a free country; but no person religiously scrupulous of bearing arms shall be compelled to render military service in person. " In the House, this was initially modified so that the militia clause came before the proposal recognizing the right. The proposals for the Bill of Rights were then trimmed in the interests of brevity. The conscientious objector clause was removed following objections by Elbridge Gerry, who complained that future Congresses might abuse the exemption to excuse everyone from military service.

The proposal finally passed the House in its present form: "A well regulated militia, being necessary to the security of a free state, the right of the people to keep and bear arms, shall not be infringed.: " In this form it was submitted into the Senate, which passed it the following day. The Senate in the process indicated its intent that the right be an individual one, for private purposes, by rejecting an amendment which would have limited the keeping and bearing of arms to bearing "For the common defense". "

1982, Preface, THE RIGHT TO KEEP AND BEAR ARMS REPORT of the 97th Congress.